PHOTO
After August’s double-header against England – a 3-2 victory in their opening game of the season followed by a 2-1 defeat – Italy Under-16s are back at Coverciano for another prestigious pair of fixtures, this time against Spain. The two sides will meet on Tuesday 15 September (17:00) and Thursday 17 September (11:00) on Pitch 2, named after Enzo Bearzot. Both matches will be shown live on Vivo Azzurro TV.
There will also be a notable new face within the group, with FIGC President Giovanni Malagò choosing Ciro Immobile as Head of Delegation for Giovanni Costantino’s side. Born in 1990, Immobile was crowned European champion with the senior national team in 2021 under current head coach Roberto Mancini. The former striker brought his playing career to an end last month, having scored 306 goals in 601 appearances across spells with Juventus, Siena, Grosseto, Pescara, Genoa, Torino, Borussia Dortmund, Siviglia, Lazio, Beșiktaș, Bologna and Paris FC.
The numbers speak for themselves. Immobile was Serie B’s top scorer in 2011/12, with 28 goals in 37 appearances for Pescara, before finishing as Serie A’s leading marksman on four occasions: in 2013/14 with Torino (22 goals in 33 appearances); in 2017/18 with Lazio (29 in 33), level with then-Inter striker Mauro Icardi; in 2019/20, again with the Biancocelesti (36 in 37), a haul that also earned him the European Golden Shoe; and in 2021/22 with Lazio (27 in 31). He also topped the Europa League scoring charts in 2017/18, with eight goals in nine appearances, sharing the honour with former Athletic Bilbao striker Artiz Aduriz.
Immobile’s appointment as Head of Delegation carries significance well beyond the formal role itself. Having someone alongside the players who has experienced major competitions first-hand, through both success and adversity, can be hugely valuable as they continue their development. At that age, the aim is not simply to shape them as footballers, but as people too. Experience, professionalism, handling pressure, respecting the rules and understanding what it means to wear the Azzurri shirt are lessons that cannot be taught from a textbook. They are values that someone like Immobile can pass on every day, above all through the example he sets.
“It feels like the right time to give something back to football after everything it has given me over the course of my career,” said the former Italy striker, who scored 17 goals in 57 appearances for the senior national team. “Working with these young players is a wonderful opportunity for me: a chance to embrace a new challenge and, above all, to share with them everything I have learned, both on and off the pitch. I believe experience is at its most valuable when it can be passed on to those taking their first steps in the Italy set-up. I would like to thank President Malagò for giving me this opportunity. Returning to Coverciano will be a truly special feeling.”
FIGC President Giovanni Malagò explained the thinking behind the appointment: “Choosing Ciro Immobile as Head of Delegation for the Under-16s means giving our young players the chance to work alongside someone who truly embodies what it means to wear the Azzurri shirt. We are talking not only about a European champion, but about a professional who has always combined talent with professionalism and respect for the rules. At this age, players are developing both as footballers and as people. I am sure that, through the example he sets every day, Ciro will be able to pass on the values and sense of responsibility that come with representing Italy.”
On the pitch, meanwhile, head coach Giovanni Costantino has selected a 21-player squad for the two fixtures, all born in 2011. Three of them are based abroad: defender Domenico Lanatà and midfielder Justin Ehikioya Ejodamen, who play for Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund respectively in Germany, and striker Lorenzo Sassetti, who is with Dundee United in Scotland. The Azzurrini will meet up at the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano on Sunday 13 September.
HEAD-TO-HEAD. Italy and Spain have met 13 times at Under-16 level, with the Furie Rosse holding the upper hand: seven wins to the Azzurrini’s five, with just one draw. That came on Matchday 2 of Group B at the 1985 European Championship finals (Italy 0-0 Spain, 19 May), a competition that has been contested at Under-17 level since 2002.
The most recent double-header took place just over a year ago in Madrid, when current Italy Under-17 head coach Manuel Pasqual was in charge of the Under-16s. After losing the opening friendly 1-0 in Las Rozas (16 September 2025), the Azzurrini responded with a 2-1 victory in the second meeting (18 September 2025), also played at the Ciudad del Fútbol.
ACCREDITATION. Access to the Italy Under-16 double-header against Spain, taking place on Tuesday 15 September (17:00) and Thursday 17 September (11:00) on Pitch 2, named after Enzo Bearzot, at the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano, will be granted by accreditation only. All requests are subject to approval by the Federation.
Accreditation requests must be submitted by 16:00 on Monday 14 September at the latest. Media representatives (journalists, photographers and TV crews) should send their requests to a.paoli@figc.it, while all other applications should be sent to ms.carriquiry@figc.it.
THE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Matteo Bondone (Genoa), Lorenzo Minicucci (Fiorentina);
Defenders: Lorenzo Allara (Juventus), Matthew Appiah Boateng (Parma), Mattia Casella (Cremonese), Niccolò Chieffallo (Roma), Mirko Danza (Atalanta), Domenico Lanatà (Stoccarda), Saverio Angelo Mesecorto (Sassuolo), Fabrizio Pasotti (Cremonese);
Midfielders: Francesco Buondonno (Napoli), Sean Luis Ebagua (Venezia), Justin Ehikioya Ejodamen (Borussia Dortmund), Abdel Salam Musah (Fiorentina), Mattia Pica (Roma), Gabriel Tedesco (Inter), Marco Vaccarella (Juventus), Lorenzo Vitali (Parma);
Forwards: Enzo Diofebo (Roma), Leonardo Rossini (Milan), Lorenzo Sassetti (Dundee United).
Staff – Head Coach: Giovanni Costantino; Head of Delegation: Ciro Immobile; Deputy Coordinator of the National Youth Teams: Daniele Zoratto; Assistant Coach: Mirco Gasparetto; Goalkeeping Coach: Davide Quironi; Fitness Coach: Francesco Saverio Cosentino; Match Analyst: Luca Federico; Doctors: Valerio Andreozzi and Lorenzo Sapegno; Nutritionist: Filippo Maria Perricelli; Physiotherapist: Angelo Cartocci; Press Officer: Alessandro Paoli; Team Secretary: Luca Umberto Gatto.